What was Ramadan like for Syrian refugees?

Updated 1510 GMT (2210 HKT) August 9, 2013

Ramadan for Syrian refugees12 photos

Ramadan for Syrian refugees – Two young Syrian girls at the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan paint decorations on walls of the community bathrooms. "Doing this project helps us keep our minds off fasting," says 12 year old Sula (right), a refugee from a village outside Dara'a.

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Ramadan for Syrian refugees12 photos

Ramadan for Syrian refugees – The sun sets over Za'atari in northern Jordan, where Syrian refugees pass one of the many makeshift mosques that have mushroomed in the sprawling refugee camp. It is home to around 145,000 people.

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Ramadan for Syrian refugees12 photos

Ramadan as a refugee – A young girl helps prepare the evening meal, iftar, with her family in Za'atari refugee camp.

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Ramadan for Syrian refugees12 photos

Fasting for faith – An elderly couple sits outside their caravan on a hot afternoon during Ramadan in Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan. The heat is challenging for the elderly, but many fast anyway.

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Life as a refugee during Ramadan – Baby Saddam, held by his young mother, and his two brothers at Za'atari. His mother is still unsure if she is a widow or not.

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Ramadan for Syrian refugees – Yahya arranges his freshly made qatayef, sweet pancakes traditionally served during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. He was a baker in his native Syria and now puts his skills to use in Za'atari, Jordan.

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Ramadan for Syrian refugees12 photos

Ramadan for Syrian refugees – Mahasen, 44, (left) helps her daughter Lina make sambousek -- small, meat-filled pastries -- for their iftar meal at their home in Cairo, Egypt. "Ramadan in Syria was always at our house, now we are displaced and we don't know when we can go back," said Mahasan.

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Iftar in Cairo – Syrian chef, Galal (center), prepares the evening iftar meal during Ramadan at the busy Bab Elhara Restaurant in Cairo. He fled to Egypt a month ago with his wife and two children. "I was away from Syria for eight years of my own free will, but now I'm away forcibly. As soon as things calm down, I will go back home," he said.

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Iftar in Cairo – Ahmed, 48, (left) and his family share the Iftar meal during Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt. Ahmed spent four months in jail in Homs, Syria before fleeing with his wife and two children after their home was destroyed. "I feel like I'm in heaven here because I spent the last 3 Ramadan's under gunfire," he said.

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Help and health – Foddiye (left) and her husband currently host seven Syrian refugee families rent-free on their land in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Here she picks vegetables from her garden for Iftar with Abou (right), a Syrian refugee.

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Ramadan for Syrian refugees – Syrian refugee, Mona, 14, lives with her parents and five younger siblings in Beirut, Lebanon. Mona says that her family decided to flee Syria the day their neighbor was killed in front of their house. She and her extended family of over 40 people now live in two makeshift buildings in Beirut. The food they ate for iftar comes mostly from charity.

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Ramadan for Syrian refugees – Syrian refugee Hussein, 33, and his wife, Nuhad, 27, and their two children now live in a small apartment in Lebanon. "I miss the atmosphere in Syria," said Hussein. "I miss the culture. I miss the Msahrji (the drummer who walks around the neighborhood and wakes people for Suhoor). I miss watching the Ramadan series on TV together."

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Story highlights

Syrians in Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan marked Ramadan in different ways

Many reflected on the lives they had in their home country

It is a difficult recent past and uncertain future for many

The Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, ended this week, marked across the Islamic world by the feasts of Eid el Fitr.

Traditionally a time spent with family at home, Ramadan has also become a time for reflection for many Syrians displaced by conflict in the country.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR), the refugee camp at Za'atari in Jordan is home to around 145,000 Syrians who have fled the ongoing violence. Life there is difficult for its residents, and other Syrians who have found themselves living far from home across the region, from Beirut in Lebanon to Egypt's capital Cairo.

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Photographers from the UNCHR captured the period on camera and discovered that, supported by their memories and dreams, those living in Za'atari could work through the struggles of life as a refugee and still observe the holy period.